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Conservative MP eager to help small business

Tracy Gray highlights labour crisis as key concern.

  • Getting people back to work a concern
  • Visas for foreign workers should be extended

Recently re-elected Kelowna-Lake Country MP, Conservative Tracy Gray, has taken on a new role as Shadow Minister for Small Business Growth and Recovery, and she’s promising to do her part in seeing things improve.

She argues new programs from the governing Liberals, aimed at subsidizing businesses and workers, continue to hinder economic growth.

“Small business recovery and growth is going to be so important as we come out of this pandemic,” Gray told Kelowna10.

“We know that small businesses have been some that have been the most affected and they’ve been really struggling, some of them are barely on the edge.”

Gray explained she understands what the issues of local business owners are because she connects with them regularly and described her new shadow role as a natural continuation from her previous critic portfolios in trade.

Labour shortage

She highlighted the shortage of labour as a key concern.

“Here in Kelowna-Lake Country, but also in many parts of the country, we have a labour crisis and so small business owners are having a really tough time finding people to work,” Gray said.

“We know that there are people on programs. We need to get them off programs, those that can work and are able to and can work safely.”

The federal government is spending over $7 billion in ongoing subsidy programs for badly impacted sectors and workers. The Conservatives, meanwhile, had promised before the recent election, to create incentives for job creation. This would include paying up to 50 per cent of the salary of new hires.

Visa issues

Gray added the federal government needed to act swiftly on extending and processing work visas of foreign nationals who are needed to remain in the country to help in areas such as the hospitality sector and ski resorts.

“There are a number of people here who’s work visas have expired… it’s a real simple fix, to just extend those visas. This is something that will affect the ski hill as well as other tourism organizations,” Gray said.

The local MP also criticized the length of time it is taking for parliament to resume. That will happen Nov. 22, more than two months since the general election.

“We need to get back to work and back to parliament, in order for the legislation to go through that will continue to support these small business owners,” Gray explained.

Published 2021-11-11 by Jordan Brenda

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